‘Hoosiers’ reigns supreme in AP rankings of Top 25 sports films
“Hoosiers” shot all the way to No. 1 in The Associated Press Top 25 of best sports movies, a one-of-a-kind poll from the news organization known for its rankings of college teams.
Released in 1986 and starring Gene Hackman, “Hoosiers” led the tally in results released Friday, receiving 46 votes from a 70-person global panel of sportswriters and editors who work for the AP.
“If you put your effort and concentration into playing to your potential, to be the best that you can be, I don’t care what the scoreboard says at the end of the game,” coach Norman Dale, Hackman’s character, says in the top-ranked movie. “In my book, we’re gonna be winners.”
And in this case, they were.
Loosely based on an Indiana high school basketball team in the 1950s, “Hoosiers” narrowly edged Academy Award Best Picture honoree “Rocky” — released in 1976, it was the first installment of Sylvester Stallone’s series about an unknown boxer from Philadelphia who gets a shot at the big time — and “Bull Durham” — starring Kevin Costner and Susan Sarandon in 1988, it offered a fictionalized look at characters who populate minor league baseball.
Those two movies tied for second place with 45 votes each.
There was a significant gap between the top three and the rest of the AP Top 25.
At No. 4 with 33 votes was “Caddyshack,” the sole golf tale to make the rankings. That was followed closely by “Slap Shot” with 32 votes and “Field of Dreams” with 31.
“Raging Bull,” “Major League,” “The Natural” and “A League of Their Own” rounded out the poll’s top 10.
Other tidbits from this special AP Top 25:
DOUBLE TAKES
Two screenwriters, Angelo Pizzo and Ron Shelton, each earned two mentions on the list. Pizzo penned top-ranked “Hoosiers” and “Rudy,” which tied for No. 18; Shelton wrote and directed both “Bull Durham” and No. 17 “White Men Can’t Jump.”
REAL AS CAN BE
Two documentaries made the rankings: “Hoop Dreams” at No. 14 and “When We Were Kings,” tied for No. 21.
STATISTICS
In all, 117 films got at least one mention in the complete balloting; 69 received at least two votes apiece. Nine sports served as the subjects of the AP Top 25, a group that actually wound up including 26 total movies, because three tied for 24th place.
MOST POPULAR SPORTS
The sport represented the most in the list was baseball with 10 entries, followed by football with four. Basketball and boxing each put three selections in the rankings, while hockey earned two. Golf, running, horse racing and cycling each got one mention.
OSCAR AND EMMY NODS
Six of the movies in the poll won at least one Academy Award, led by the four earned by “Chariots of Fire,” which was ranked No. 16. Nine other films were nominated for at least one Oscar. “Brian’s Song,” which tied for No. 24, was the only television movie to make the list and collected five Emmy Awards.
ICONIC LINES AND KEY INFO FROM THE MOVIES ON THE LIST
1. “Hoosiers”
Year: 1986
Screenwriter: Angelo Pizzo
Director: David Anspaugh
Starring: Gene Hackman, Dennis Hopper, Barbara Hershey
Plot: A coach with a shaky past (Hackman) and his assistant who’s a drunk (Hopper) take a small-town high school basketball team in 1950s Indiana to the state tournament.
Iconic Line: “I think you’ll find it’s the exact same measurements as our gym back in Hickory.” — Coach Norman Dale (Hackman)
Oscars: 2 nominations
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HPiXuGojahA
2 (tie). “Bull Durham”
Year: 1988
Screenwriter: Ron Shelton
Director: Shelton
Starring: Kevin Costner, Susan Sarandon, Tim Robbins
Plot: The lives of a career minor leaguer (Costner), a young, wild pitcher (Robbins) and a local fan (Sarandon) intertwine.
Iconic Line: “The only church that truly feeds the soul, day in and day out, is the church of baseball.” — Annie Savoy (Sarandon)
Oscars: 1 nomination
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bXb0Gu3oHK8
2 (tie). “Rocky”
Year: 1976
Screenwriter: Sylvester Stallone
Director: John G. Avildsen
Starring: Sylvester Stallone, Talia Shire, Burt Young, Burgess Meredith, Carl Weathers
Plot: A small-time boxer (Stallone) living in Philadelphia gets a shot at the heavyweight championship.
Iconic Line: “Yo, Adrian.” — Rocky Balboa (Stallone)
Oscars: 3 wins (Picture, Director, Editing), 10 total nominations
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YApt5kJhfdo
4. “Caddyshack”
Year: 1980
Screenwriters: Douglas Kenney, Harold Ramis, Brian Doyle-Murray
Director: Ramis
Starring: Chevy Chase, Rodney Dangerfield, Ted Knight, Bill Murray
Plot: A brash new member (Dangerfield) shows up at an exclusive golf course, which employs a gopher-chasing groundskeeper (Murray).
Iconic Line: “You’ll get nothing and like it.” — Judge Elihu Smails (Knight)
Oscars: No nominations
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3kTfHRzm5k0
5. “Slap Shot”
Year: 1977
Screenwriter: Nancy Dowd
Director: George Roy Hill
Starring: Paul Newman
Plot: The player/coach (Newman) of a struggling minor league hockey team turns to goonery to attract fans.
Iconic Line: “They don’t want you to score goals! They want blood!” — Reggie Dunlop (Newman)
Oscars: No nominations
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0TarLKKgR4I
6. “Field of Dreams”
Year: 1989
Screenwriter: Phil Alden Robinson
Starring: Kevin Costner, James Earl Jones, Ray Liotta
Plot: An Iowa corn farmer (Costner) hears voices, clears his crop to build a baseball diamond and gets a visit from the 1919 Chicago White Sox and a few others.
Iconic Line: “If you build it, he will come.” — Voice from the corn fields
Oscars: 3 nominations
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vlTX_ckJ4nM
7. “Raging Bull”
Year: 1980
Screenwriters: Paul Schrader, Mardik Martin
Director: Martin Scorcese
Starring: Robert De Niro, Cathy Moriarty, Joe Pesci
Plot: Based on the life, in and out of the ring, of boxing champion Jake LaMotta (De Niro).
Iconic Line: “Hey, Ray, I never went down, man! You never got me down, Ray! You hear me? You never got me down.” — LaMotta (De Niro)
Oscars: 2 wins (Actor, Editing), 8 total nominations
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mHhzOM4gBIA
8 (tie). “Major League”
Year: 1989
Screenwriter: David S. Ward
Director: Ward
Starring: Tom Berenger, Charlie Sheen, Corbin Bernsen, Rene Russo, Bob Uecker
Plot: The Cleveland Indians win despite a new owner (Margaret Whitton) who wants to sabotage and relocate the team.
Iconic Line: “Juuuuuuuuuust a bit outside.” — Commentator Harry Doyle (Uecker)
Oscars: No nominations
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K_ILz9bC-VU
8 (tie). “The Natural”
Year: 1984
Screenwriters: Roger Towne, Phil Dusenberry; based on a novel by Bernard Malamud
Director: Barry Levinson
Starring: Robert Redford, Robert Duvall, Glenn Close, Kim Basinger
Plot: Years after getting shot while he was a young prospect, Roy Hobbs (Redford) makes it to pro baseball with hard-to-believe talent.
Iconic Line: “I coulda broke every record in the book. … And then when I walked down the street, people would’ve looked and they would’ve said, ‘There goes Roy Hobbs, the best there ever was in this game.’” — Hobbs (Redford)
Oscars: 4 nominations
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lvohEXFQZnQ
10. “A League of Their Own”
Year: 1992
Screenwriters: Lowell Ganz, Babaloo Mandel
Director: Penny Marshall
Starring: Tom Hanks, Geena Davis, Lori Petty, Madonna, Rosie O’Donnell
Plot: Rival sisters (Davis, Petty) join the first female professional baseball league amid World World II and help it grow.
Iconic Line: “There’s no crying in baseball.” — Manager Jimmy Dugan (Hanks)
Oscars: No nominations
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQRwvMIKbsA
11. “Moneyball”
Year: 2011
Screenwriters: Steven Zaillian, Aaron Sorkin
Director: Bennett Miller
Starring: Brad Pitt, Jonah Hill
Plot: The true story, based on the book by Michael Lewis, of how Oakland Athletics general manager Billy Beane used analytics to take advantage of market inefficiencies and built a successful baseball team despite a low payroll.
Iconic Line: “If we pull this off, we change the game. We change the game for good.” — Beane (Pitt)
Oscars: 6 nominations
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-4QPVo0UIzc
12 (tie). “The Bad News Bears”
Year: 1976
Screenwriter: Bill Lancaster
Director: Michael Ritchie
Starring: Walter Matthau, Tatum O’Neal
Plot: An alcoholic former minor league baseball player (Matthau) coaches a ragtag team made up of misfit kids.
Iconic Line: “This quitting thing — it’s a hard habit to break once you start.” — Morris Buttermaker (Matthau)
Oscars: No nominations
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sF6De-XP7x4
12 (tie). “Miracle”
Year: 2004
Screenwriters: Eric Guggenheim, Mike Rich
Director: Gavin O’Connor
Starring: Kurt Russell, Patricia Clarkson, Noah Emmerich
Plot: The true story of coach Herb Brooks (Russell), who led the 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team to victory over the seemingly invincible Soviet Union.
Iconic Line: “Great moments are born from great opportunity.” — Brooks (Russell)
Oscars: No nominations
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v64ofT1rGOw
14. “Hoop Dreams”
Year: 1994
Screenwriters: Steve James, Frederick Marx
Director: James
Starring: William Gates, Arthur Agee
Plot: Documentary following the lives of two high school students in Chicago who hope to play professional basketball.
Iconic Line: “People always say to me, ‘When you get to the NBA, don’t forget about me.’ Well, I should’ve said back, ‘If I don’t make it to the NBA, don’t you forget about me.’” — Gates
Oscars: 1 nomination
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-TRIx7oD3lo
15. “Eight Men Out”
Year: 1988
Screenwriter: John Sayles
Director: Sayles
Starring: John Cusack, Jace Alexander
Plot: Based on the book by Eliot Asinof about the Black Sox scandal, when “Shoeless Joe” Jackson and the Chicago White Sox were accused of throwing the 1919 World Series.
Iconic Line: “Say it ain’t so, Joe. Say it ain’t so.” — Peewee (Brad Garrett)
Oscars: No nominations
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JSHQw85pvek
16. “Chariots of Fire”
Year: 1981
Screenwriter: Colin Welland
Director: Hugh Hudson
Starring: Ben Cross, Ian Charleson
Plot: The fact-based story of two runners — one Christian, one Jewish — who compete in the 1924 Olympics.
Iconic Line: “I’ve known the fear of losing, but now I am almost too frightened to win.” — Olympian Harold Abrahams (Cross)
Oscars: 4 wins (Picture, Screenplay, Score, Costume Design), 7 total nominations
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uPe27x0_W2M
17. “White Men Can’t Jump”
Year: 1992
Screenwriter: Ron Shelton
Director: Shelton
Starring: Wesley Snipes, Woody Harrelson, Rosie Perez
Plot: A couple of basketball hustlers (Snipes, Harrelson) team up.
Iconic Line: “There’s rules to hustling. There’s an ethics involved.” — Billy Hoyle (Harrelson)
Oscars: No nominations
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g4aNy-3n1GU
18 (tie). “Remember the Titans”
Year: 2000
Screenwriter: Gregory Allen Howard
Director: Boaz Yakin
Starring: Denzel Washington, Will Patton
Plot: Based on the true story of Herman Boone (Washington) and his attempt to integrate a Virginia high school football team in the early 1970s.
Iconic Line: “I don’t care if you like each other or not. But you will respect each other.” — Boone (Washington)
Oscars: No nominations
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j6_v3WQ3o_g
18 (tie). “Rudy”
Year: 1993
Screenwriter: Angelo Pizzo
Director: David Anspaugh
Starring: Sean Astin, Jon Favreau, Ned Beatty
Plot: A kid from a steel mill town overcomes several obstacles to play college football at powerhouse Notre Dame.
Iconic Line: “I’ve been ready for this my whole life.” — Daniel “Rudy” Ruettiger (Astin)
Oscars: No nominations
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xm0pTMbDaMI
18 (tie). “Seabiscuit”
Year: 2003
Screenwriter: Gary Ross
Director: Ross
Starring: Tobey Maguire, Jeff Bridges, Elizabeth Banks
Plot: Based on Laura Hillenbrand’s book, the true story of undersized and crooked-legged Seabiscuit, who captivated the sports world in 1938 and became a symbol of hope during the Great Depression.
Iconic Line: “You know, everybody thinks we found this broken-down horse and fixed him, but we didn’t. He fixed us. Every one of us. And I guess in a way we kinda fixed each other, too.” — Jockey Johnny “Red” Pollard (Maguire)
Oscars: 7 nominations
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yv6RnFTlu4I
21 (tie). “Breaking Away”
Year: 1979
Screenwriter: Steve Tesich
Director: Peter Yates
Starring: Dennis Quaid, Daniel Stern, Dennis Christopher, Jackie Earle Haley
Plot: The story of four working-class friends who are recent high school graduates in Indiana, including one obsessed with Italian cycling.
Iconic Line: “I thought that was the whole plan — that we were going to waste the rest of our lives together.” — Cyril (Stern)
Oscars: 1 win (Screenplay), 5 total nominations
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HL3U44It_No
21 (tie). “The Pride of the Yankees”
Year: 1942
Screenwriters: Jo Swerling, Herman J. Mankiewicz
Director: Sam Wood
Starring: Gary Cooper, Babe Ruth
Plot: Based on the life of baseball Hall of Famer Lou Gehrig (Cooper), the New York Yankees star who died at age 37 from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
Iconic Line: “Today, I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the Earth.” — Gehrig (Cooper)
Oscars: 1 win (Editing), 11 total nominations
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ipZeKbAZ80Q
21 (tie). “When We Were Kings”
Year: 1996
Screenwriter: None
Director: Leon Gast
Starring: Muhammad Ali, George Foreman, Don King
Plot: Documentary about “The Rumble in the Jungle,” the 1974 heavyweight championship fight in Zaire between champion George Foreman and challenger Muhammad Ali.
Iconic Line: “Last night, I cut the light off in my bedroom, hit the switch and was in the bed before the room was dark.” — Muhammad Ali
Oscars: 1 win (Documentary), 1 total nomination
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uBauogNmRqY
24 (tie). “Brian’s Song”
Year: 1971
Screenwriter: William Blinn
Director: Buzz Kulik
Starring: James Caan, Billy Dee Williams, Jack Warden
Plot: The evolution of the real-life friendship between Chicago Bears teammates Brian Piccolo (Caan) and Gale Sayers (Williams) and the bond they form after Piccolo learns he has terminal cancer.
Iconic Line: “I love Brian Piccolo. And tonight, when you hit your knees, please ask God to love him.” — Sayers (Williams)
Emmys: 5 wins (Program, Writing, Supporting Actor, Cinematography, Editing), 11 total nominations
24 (tie). “Friday Night Lights”
Year: 2004
Screenwriters: David Aaron Cohen, Peter Berg
Director: Berg
Starring: Billy Bob Thornton, Derek Luke
Plot: Based on the book by Buzz Bissinger about a high school football team and the Texas town obsessed with it.
Iconic Line: “Gentlemen, the hopes and dreams of an entire town are riding on your shoulders. You may never matter again in your life as much as you do right now.” — Coach Gary Gaines (Thornton)
Oscars: No nominations
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-mI9GajrBc
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sF8lEfuqAL4
24 (tie). “The Sandlot”
Year: 1993
Screenwriters: David Mickey Evans, Robert Gunter
Director: Evans
Starring: Tom Guiry, Mike Vitar, Art LeFleur, Patrick Renna
Plot: Coming-of-age story about a group of baseball players in the summer of 1962.
Iconic Line: “You’re killin’ me, Smalls.” — Hamilton “Ham” Porter (Renna)
Oscars: No nominations
